Sunday will mark the 54th Super Bowl, which is both a throwback and an innovation: the Kansas City Chiefs appear for the first time in 50 years, while this will be the first Super Bowl that allows coach’s challenges for pass interference calls (or non-calls). You really get the sense that Roger Goodell is praying every night that there will not be a call so horrendous that the entire sports world knows it was wrong — except for those replay officials who, stubbornly and with their arms crossed, refuse to admit that their colleagues on the field might have missed something. Patrick Mahomes II and Jimmy Garoppolo are both making their Super Bowl debuts. If the Chiefs win, they would get their second title in franchise history; if the 49ers win, this would make their sixth Lombardi Trophy. Can we really use past performance to help with our Super Bowl LIV betting here? Let’s take a look at some historical data and see if it helps.
Using Past Performance to Predict Super Bowl LIV
The Chiefs have never lost a Super Bowl
True! But their last appearance came in 1970, when they were still in the American Football League. They beat the Minnesota Vikings, who went back several more times in the 1970s but still have zero titles.
The 49ers are 5-1 in Super Bowls
They went five times between 1981 and 1994, winning each time. They returned in 2012, led by Jim Harbaugh coaching opposite his brother John. It was the brother who won, as John’s Baltimore Ravens picked up a win in the only Super Bowl to have a stoppage when the lights went out in the Superdome.
The Chiefs have the second-longest Super Bowl drought for teams that have already won one
You’ve probably read about how it’s been fifty years since the Chiefs’ last Super Bowl — in other articles as well as this one. But the New York Jets have an even longer one — 51 years. They won Super Bowl III behind “Broadway Joe” Namath and have not returned to the Super Bowl since. They haven’t even been to the AFC Championship since (and read this a couple times, it’s really not a mistake) Mark Sanchez outdueled Tom Brady.
This will be the sixth time the Super Bowl has taken place at Hard Rock Stadium
However, almost each time, the stadium has had a different name: Sun Life Stadium, Dolphin Stadium, Pro Player Stadium and Joe Robbie Stadium have also been the names on the building. No city has hosted more Super Bowls than the Miami area (11), although New Orleans is right behind with ten.
Kyle Shanahan makes his Super Bowl debut, and he will also be part of the first father-son pair to appear in Super Bowls separately
His father, Mike, led Denver to two straight Super Bowl wins and took the 49ers there as their offensive coordinator.
Only two other teams had gone from winning four or fewer games in one season to making the Super Bowl the next season
San Francisco is the third.
The 49ers’ defense is historic
The unit has permitted just 15 points per game in the playoffs after a regular season in which they permitted almost 20 points per game. The Kansas City Chiefs will have their work cut out for them.
So is the Kansas City offense
They hit 51 points in their divisional round win and 37 in their conference championship, and three players on their offense are elite at their positions: quarterback Patrick Mahomes, tight end Travis Kelce and wideout Tyreek Hill.
Mahomes has gotten better after hurting his knee
Since returning in Week 10, he has thrown 19 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. His ratio in the playoffs: Eight touchdowns without a single pick.
San Francisco’s offense goes through the running game
Raheem Mostert made the Green Bay Packers look like a high school defense in the NFC Championship, running for 220 yards and four touchdowns. He is part of a three-man backfield that also includes Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida.
How much of this can you use? Take a look at our other content on Super Bowl LIV before you lock in your wagers. Happy betting!
